Wheel-mount.



A. JOHNSON.

WHEEL MOUNT,

' APPLICATION FILED JULY. 25, 191s.

Patnted 0013.20, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

V/IIIIIIIIIIIIIII."

THE NDRRIS vPETERS C11. PHOTULIHO., WASHINGYUN.' D4 C.

A. JOHNSON.

. WHEEL MOUNT.

APLIOATION FILED JULY 25, 1913.

1,1 14,481. Patented oct. 20, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

atten/nua' A. JOHNSON.

` WHEEL MOUNT.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 25, 1913.

1,1 14,481 Patented 00L. 20, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I'Hl? MORRIS PETERS co., PHOTULIT/fm., WASHINGTON. D. c

A. JOHNSON. WHEEL MOUNT. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1913.

1,114,481. Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4,

THE NURRAS PETERS Cn., PHOmL1THo., WASHINGTDN. D. C

A `armani) Johnson, or QUINCY, I LLIivoisi` WHEEL-MOUNT,

To all whom it may .concern Be it knownthat I, ALFRED JOHNSON, a,citizen ofthe `United States,fies'iding at `Quincy, in the county ofAdams and Stateof illinois, have invented newfand useful iniprovementsin lWheel-Mounts, of whichfthe following is a specification. .l l

The present invention relate to certain novel improvements in trolleyharps and trolley wheels therefor. .f

ln carrying out my invention, I propose to provide a trolleyharpwith anovel construction of bearing'` for the trolleyaxle, whereby the trolleywheelLwill at all..tini es be maintained in its normal position; that isto say, lie substantially in a vertical plane regardless of theinclination of ther trolley pole or the irregularities in the feed wire,or

when thecar iszrouiiding a curve, `and also removing any strain from thetrolley pole land minimizing if notentirely overcon'iin'g i thedisadvantages incidentto' thetrolley wheel jumping the wire; I i

t is also my purpose to provide `a trolley harp with a selfyadjiistingwheelandaxle,

wherein the wheel andaXlewill be arranged f' upon a bearing which is`provided with novel ineans wherebythe same willreadily engage withthebore of the wheel a'ndxwill notbe permitted becoming accidentallydisconnected from the wheel,the said bearing befed to the wheelr topermit of the rfree rota-v provision of contact plates. for thejmembers'ing rotatable with the aXle-andincluding a lubricant receptacle, wherebya lubricant is tion of the wheel uponits bearing. p

A further objectyof the invention is the arranged between the wheel andtrolley harp, whereby the said bearing members of the appended claims;

lwill. be retained at "all times in contacting `engagement Vregardlesskof the aiiglefor inclination which the wlieelmay assume with relationtotheliarp.

. still further object yof theinventionyisl the construction of a deviceof this class which will einb'odythe desirable features of simplicity,ei'liciency,durability and strength,

vcoupled with cheapness the costof manufacturer andjiiiarketing andwhich may be readily applied to any ytype of trolley pole or trolleywheel.

. Vith the aboveaiid other objects in view, the invention consists inthe construction,y combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter setforth and .fallin view lon theline g' within-.the scope specification ofLetiersra'nt.. Patte Oct 2(7),1914;`

' Appiication iiieafzmiy saisis. seriai 110,751,259.

For the ypurpose of illustration thefaccompanying drawings discloseafsatisfactory're? duction of the improvement ,to practice, but

fthe iiaturepfthe inventionnecessarily reiiders.thesamesusceptible toembodiments in various forms a preferred formbeing `illus-,y

trated in the drawings,y and `in which:

` `Figure l is aside elevation yof a trolley harpv yconstructed in.accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is an end view ofthesame,-Fig. 3 is a sectional view'onthe linefB-S of l, showingthewheel and aXle arranged at an angle with .relation to' fthetrolleyharp, Fig. t is asimilar sectional view illustratingthefwheelandv axle 1ari rangedfat a different angle fromthatillusftrated in Fig..3,Fig. 5` isf a vertical sectional y 5 ofFig.-` 2,Ishowing the' kposition ofthe aXle bearing member'when the same hasreached the vlimit ofits movement'in one "direction, Figjpisa top plan.,i

,viewof the harp, the trolley wheel andfaxle beingy removed, Fig. 7 `asectional yview :siiiiilaito` Fig.y 5 `but -showing the. position 'ofsoA the bearing whenA rotated tothe limit of its movement:` in anopposite" direction to that disclosed in'Figf, Fig. Sis a] detail sec-'.tional viewy showing the `"manner infwhich the spring aXlehoolr engageswith oneof the ends of the vsaidaXle and the means for retaining thehook upon the bearing, Fig. 9 is .an enlarged-.elevation illustratinglthe inan' ner in whichtheretaining or guard member fcr the hook'retainsv the 'same within `the curved slot provided for the reception ofone of the ends of saidhook, Fig. l0 is an eleva-4, Ltion ofthetrolleywheelbearing, Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view of thesame", 'but .slim-ving theguard contactplates-arranged thereon landv themanner in which'the fingers ofthe plates v,engage withinthe''annular-re-V cess of tlieftrolley wheelFi'g.` 12-yis rka detail' ofFig. 11, Fig..l3 is a viewr of one of the aX'l'el bearing members,showing the parts disassociated,Fig.f l4`is a perspective view of thelcontactniember carried by the harp,

Fig. 15 is a detail view of the contact washer associated [with the'member illustrated in .Fig.'l4t, Fig. lois a detail view of the axle,Fig. 17 is a detail sectional view. on theline `transverse sectionalview; on lthe vline 12-12 17-17 of Fig. 15, and Fig." y18 is a `det-ailillustrating a 'manner in which ythe axle may rbe secured to thebearingcasing, rin lieuk of thehookf,y

Referring now to the drawings indetail,

, the saidl beads being deeper at the corners, or

the below its birurcated portion which provides its arms B,is formedWithk sides of the trolley Wheel WV Without, however, contacting withthe said sides ofthe Wheel. .'llhe'inturned corners 4provide means whichWill e'iiectively prevent the line `or feed Wire F passing between thearms and the sides of the trolley Wheel, should the occasion karise`wherein the Wheel'W'iscaused to jump the Wire F. However, 'with myconstruction, aim to provide means whereby the wheel cannot, underordinary conditions, become disconnected from the Wire, and toaccomplish this, I provide the Wheel With an adjustable axle or shafty4, whereby the said axle Will yield to the strain exerted between theWheel W and the reedivire F and sustain the Wheel perpendicular totheWire, regardless of vthe which the harp may assume. 1

Theharp armsB preferably have their opposite, normally vertical edges,beaded,

gradually increasing from the socket of the harp tothe terminalsadjacentthecorners, and the said arms adjacent the upper edges lthereof are eachprovided with enlarged annular openings 5. Received Within theseopeningsand rotatable upon the arms are bearing casings or boxes 6. Themembers 6 each comprise tivo sections, an inner and an outer section,which are both of a similar formation. Each of the sections comprises amember having` a central outturned.

rounded portion 7, the face of Which is formed with a rounded opening 8,and the said rounded portions have their inner terminals integrallyprovided with fiat angular portions 9 which terminatein outwardlyr ,ex-

tending flanges 10. The members are connected by suitable rivets 11, andWhen positioned upon the arms B, the langes 10 env gage with vtherounded `Wall provided by the openings 5 in the arms B. It Will thus benoted that the bearing 'boxes are free to rotate around the arms of theharp to which they'are secured, and the rounded portions 7 `of thebearing boxes provide housings for the reception of Vbearing balls 12. iThese balls 12 are free to rotate Within the housings provided by theportions 8 of the bearing boxes or casings 6, and the said balls areprovided With suitable transverse openings for the reception of the endsof the shaft or axle 4. The axle 4 is retained upon' the j bearingballs, in a manner Which Will hereangle p flange 10 of the members ofthe bearing boxes are preferably formed with oppositely disposed lingers13, While arranged upon the arms B of the harp are stop members 14which. are adapted to -be contacted by the fingers 13, to limit therotary movement of the bearing boxes or casings 6, the purpose of whichWill readily be understood. lVith such a construction, the bearing ballshave their openings normally arranged in parallelism, and so the shaftvor axle 4 is sustained in a horizontal position, and the' wheel WV at aright angle to the shaft. We Will suppose that the wheel contacts withan irregularity or obstruction in the Wire F, or that the car to whichthe harp and the pole provided therefor rounds a curve, say m a righthand direction tothe path of travel or the car. The right hand side ofthe Wire, or an obstruction upon the right hand side of the Wire will`forcibly contact With the right hand .flange of the wheel W, and apressure thus exerted upon the Wheel will `cause the same to exert asimilar pressure upon the right hand` end of the shaft or axle 4, and asa consequence, the axle 4 Will rotate the right hand bearing box topermit of the said'wheel being sustained at a right angle vto the WireF, regardless of the inclination of the harp A l anda the arm to whichit is attached. l f

The above construction may be applied to any ordinary trolley harp andany ordinary trolley `Wheel.` rl`he bearing boxes are preferably Aprovided With concentrically ar;

rangedslots or openings 15 Which are arranged centrally of the iiatportions 9 of the said boxes. The opposite ends of the shaft may bepro-vided with substantially T- shaped depressions, the small portionsor the said openings communicating with the outer ends of the shaft oraxle 4.

The numeral 17 designates what li term a lock hook for thejaxle. Thishook comprises a rounded portion 18 having one of its ends passingthrough the slot or opening 15, and the terminal ofthe said portionbeing lianged, as at 19. The opposite end or the portionlS is arrangedat an angle, as indicated by the numeral 20, the extremityof the angularportion being` bentfto provide a head 21. It is to be understoodthat thelock hook 17 is constructed of resilient Inaterial, and the T-shapeddepressions'are ofV When .the said member 17 is'sustained at an angle tothe shaft or axle 4, after which the rounded portion 19 may be swung tobring its end through the slot or opening 15 and to have its head 19arranged in contactingI engagement With the outer face of the inner` Topermit" members of the bearing boxes.. ofthe insertion of this end ofthe hook, the

said bearing boxes are provided with de-y i Y pressions 22 whichcommunicate with the upper walls of the slots or openings l5,and

'to close these depressions, to prevent the withdrawal of the `head 19,of the lock, from the slots or openings l5, I provide a sub-` stantiallyL-shaped guard plate 23, one of the angular members of which filling thedee pressions 22, and the opposite angular memi ber being removablyconnected with the bearing boxes through the medium of bolt or screwmembers 24. The spring lock hooks 17 permit of a longitudinal movementof the shaft 4 with yits ball bearings, but at the saine time veectivelyprevent the accidental displacement of the shaft from its bearings.

Such a structure permits of the free revolv-k ing of the bearing ballswithin the bearing boxes, irrespective of the rotary movement ofthe-said boxes. i

The wheel W which I employ, has its opposite faces dished inwardlyand isprovided with a central enlarged bore 25,` and the sides of the wheelare provided with annu? lar flanges which surround the said bore. rlhewall of the bore is centrallyvformed with a continuous depression orchannel 2G,v

and adapted to be received within the bore is a bearing hub 27. Themember `27'is peripherally roundedtosnugly engage with the wall of thebore of the wheel, and the said member iswofv a width equaling orslightly exceeding the cross sectional diameterof the bore 25 and theflanges which surround the bore. The bearinghub'27 is centrally providedwith a rounded axle opening 28 through which the axle' 4 passes,

land the wall provided by the said opening "28 is formed with a rib 29which extends longitudinally of the said opening, and

which is adapted to engage with al slot or channel. 30 provided in theaxle 4, whereby, under ordinary conditions, the bearing 27 and the axle4 are sustained against rol tary movement, and as a consequence, the

wheel IV freely revolves upon its bearing 27. rI hc bearing 27 isfurther providedwith a transverse opening 31 which is preferablyarranged above the axle opening 28,\and4 adjacent the periphery oftlie'said bearing."v

An elonOated slot 32' which is yarran0e `l cen-r 4 b trally of theperiphery of the .bear-ing27A communicates with the opening 3l, and' thevsaid slot is of a'length approximatelyy equal-k i ing the width of theopening 8l. The bear,-V

ing comprises a substantially hollow mein` ber, and the lower portion ofthe said bearingis provided with a'centrally `arranged peripheralaperture 83 which communicates 'with the hollow interior of the bearing,rIhe aperture is arranged directlyy over the annular channel 2G providedin the bore 25 of the wheel W, and the hollow bearing is adapted toreceive a lubricant which will' be `drawn byv ksuction to within thechannel as the bearing, andV each ofthe said ,plates,"j

which may bedesignated by the numerals 341s formed from asingle piece ofdat electric conducting inaterial,feach"having an'` opening which `isadapted to be arranged;

to register with the axle openingQ-S of the bearing'27, andeach of theksaid plates has its upper portion bent inwardly,` as at 36, theterminal ofy which being bent upwardly, as at 37, to providewhat I ywill.term a tongue, andthe bent vportion 36de passed `through the openingy31` to permit "of its tongue passingy through the elongated slot 32-andinto the channel26of the'bearing 27 .f

The portion of each oftheguide and contact plates 34' below its openingSois forme-d 3,14. with an extension, `1which Isliall term'a'tail 1 c38, and this tail is "formed with an elongated opening 39; The 'bearingv27, adJacentthe 'lower-edge thereof -is provided with a transverseperforation `40 which is adapted for f: thereception of rod4l, the saidrod having .itsl opposite ends bent at lan angle to its main portion orbodyatoy provide hooks 42, and these hooks are adapted to pass throughthe openings 39,' :and when rotated to engage 1 withthetail adjacentitsopenings 39 and so "stain the members 34 uponzthefbearing. l

The arms B of the harp,"below their ycircularop'enings `5 andthe bearingboxes are provided withxoutlet openings' 42,"and the outer facesofthesaid openings below theL said openings is `provided withl spacedbeads 43. Secured `between "these'beads, as at 44,

' are the lower portions or ends of contact` n spring plates a."4rIfhese-plates pass through L i'.

the openings 42, the portions. of theplates passing through the saidropenings being arranged vat an angle to the ends ofthe plates which aresecured to the` arms of the harp, ,and thev free ends of the plates areenlarged, ,r f

asa't 46, and provided with elongated openyings 47which surround theshaft 4, but the vwa'lls lprovided therebyare not contacted by f =thesaid' shaftregardless ofthe movement of they shaft. The ends 46y of`thecontact iii Q springs exert ak tension toward each other,

`and the free ends of the saidjsprings are f` provided with extendingportions forming rktongues 48.

The numerals-49 designate contact wash?` ers which provide flat membersor dislrs'hav? ing centralTopeiiings *which register" with the openings28 of the bearing and theopenings in thek guide or contact plates, andrthe spring plates 45, are adapted to exert a tension against thecontact Washers 49 to force the same into frictional engagement with thecontact plates 34. The contact Washers 49 are provided With a portionwhich extends beyond its perimeter, the said extending portion havingits edges inturned to provide ears 50, and the ears of each of thecontact washers being adapted to receive the tongues ofy the contactspring plates 4:5. f

As illustrated in Fig. 18 of the drawings,

Ithe Vaxle maybe provided adjacent its ends with transverse openings 5l,and a spring plate or dis; 52 may be secured upon the outer members ofthe bearing boxes, the said member 52 having an opening livhichcoincides With the opening in thebeariiig balls and With the openings inthe' outer faces of the bearing boxes, andthe said plate adjacent thesaid opening is further provided with a rounded portion or ridge 52(which overlies a depression 53 in the bearing box, and passing throughthe depression and ridge is a securing member, in the nature of a cotterpin 54, which also passes through the openings in the ends ofthe shaftor spindle 4L. le will assume that thetrolley wheel is at a directvertical position shown in Figs.l l and 2 of the drawings. rlhe Wheel isassisted in maintaining thispositionthrough the medium of springs 45.

Should the trolley feed Wire F be-rounded ink a right hand direction,the Wheel contacting they said rounded portion of the Wire Will assumethe position illustrated in Figs. l and 2. The Wire F bearing upon theVWheel Acauses the-same to assume its said vertical position. linI Fig.4 the Wheel is ar ranged to engage vwith a r'oundedportion of the feedWire `which extends in a left hand direction with regard to the path oftravel of the vehicle to which the trolley pole is attached and afterthe said Wheel rounds the curve, the pressure of the vvire upon thespring as Well as-theloWer spring-45 serves to return the Wheel `to itsinitialvertical'position. p Y

From the above description, taken in connection With the accompanyingdrawings,

the simplicity of the device as Well as the advantages thereof -will, itis thought, be vperfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to whichsuch linventions appertain With# out further description. f

Having thus described the invention,whatV I' claim is:

l. A trolley harp carrying a trolley Wheel,

al shaft for the wheel, bearings provided in the trolley harp for theshaft, rotatable` boxes carried by the harp and receiving the bearing,and the said bearings being arranged eccentrically of the boxes.

2,` A trolley harp having its arms provided with rotatable boxes,saidboxes having eccentric openings, rotatable` bearings arranged withinthe openings, a shaft forthe bearings and a trolley- Wheel carried theshaft.

3.- A trolley harp having its arms pro vided with openings, a bearingbox mounted for rotation Within each of the openings, each of thebearing boxes having an eccentric opening, a bearing mounted forrotation within each of the openings, a shaft Within-the bearings, atrolley Wheel mounted upon the shaft, and spring members convnected Withthe harp and exerting a tension upon the opposite sides of thetrolleyWheel.

4. A trolley harp, journal boxes carried bythe arms of the harp, bearingmembers Within the boxes, a shaft for the bearings, a trolley wheelcarried by the shaft, means, including mechanism for limiting the rotarymovement of the bearingsA Within the boxes, and means including membersat-y l tached to the boxes and coperating Within the shaft for limitingthe longitudinal movement of the shaft With relation to the bearings.

A trolley harp having rotatable bearing boxes provided with eccentricopenings, spherical bearings Within the openings, a

'sha-ft arranged Within the bearings, means,

comprising a detachable member for sus taining the shaft Within thebearings and for `limiting the longitudinal movement of ing 'i'. )Ltrolley harp having its arms pro- V.'fiwdedwith circular openings,circular bearing boxes constructed in sections and being formed withflanges arranged Within the openings and having their flanges contactingWiththe opposite faces of the arms, said boxes having their flangesprovided with fingers, stop members arranged upon the arms `Within thepath of contact of` the lingers, `bearing balls eccentiically arranged`Within` the boxes, means for securing the sections ofthe boxes, a shaftfor the bearing balls, and a trolley Wheel inoiuitedupon the shaft.

8. A trolley harp having its arms provided with registering annularopenings,

flange bearing boxes Within each of the cpenings,1ineans for limitingthe rotary movement of the boxes in vtivo directions, bearing ballseccentrically arranged Within the boxes, a shaft passing through each ofthe bearing balls, a trolley wheel upon the shaft, a spring lockremovably arranged within the ends of the shaft, the boxeshavingconcentric slots for the reception of the free end of each of the springlocks, each of the Said locks having its free end provided with a headwhich is adapted to contact kwith the inner face of each of thebearingboxes to sustain the lock hooks upon the boxes and to permit of alimited movement of the said lock hooks.

9. A trolley harp having its arms provided with oppositely .disposedannular openings, flanged bearing boxes mounted for rotation within theopenings, means for limiting the rotary movement of the bearing boxes, abearing ball arranged eccentrically within each of the boxes, a shaftpassing through the boxes andthrough the bearing balls, a trolley wheelarranged uponthe shaft, the ends of the shaft having open-L ings, springlocks co-acting with the open-v ings, said locks each comprising acurved body portion having one of its ends formed with a head, thesecond end being bent to engage within the openings in the ends of theaxle and having its end offset to provide a second headfthe boxes eachhaving a concentrically arranged opening and being further providedwithv a depression which ,enn ters the opening, andwhereby the firstmentioned headed end of the lock may be inserted to within theconcentric opening of each of the boxes, and an L-shaped guard 'platehaving one of its arms filling the depression and its second arm securedto the bearing boxes.

l0. A trolley harp having rotatable bearing boxes, bearing eccentricallyarranged within the boxes, a shaftfor the bearings, a hub mounted uponthe shaft and secured thereto, a trolley wheel mounted for rota` tionupon the hub, and means arranged between the hub and wheel forsustaining the said wheel upon the hub. y

1l. A trolley harp having its arms prod-` vided with revoluble bearingboxes, means for limiting the rotation of the boxes, a

bearing ball Within each of the boxes and arranged eccentricallythereof, a'shaft for the bearing balls, means for retaining the shaftupon the bearingballs, a/hubremovmountedfor rotation) upon the hub,`remov- -able plates for sustaining the trolley wheel upon the harp, andmeans for securing the said plates to the hub. p

Y l flin presence of two witnesses. f ably` secured to the-s`nagntrolley Wheel shaft engaging the bearing balls, means for sustaining theshaft upon the bearing balls, means for permitting a limited rotarymovement of the shaft, a hub secured upon the shaft, a trolley wheelbearing upon the harp,

spring plates for retainingthe Wheel upon the hub, meansl arrangeduponthe hub for retaining the plates thereon, thehub being hollow and beingprovided with a transverse opening and with la peripheral aper` ture,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

13. A trolley harp having its arms pro-` vided with annular openings,circular bear` ing boxes arranged for, rotation Vwithin the openings,means for limiting the rotary movement ofthe bearing boxes, bearingballs eccentrically mounted Within the openings, a shaft looselyarranged Within the bearing balls, means for sustaining the shaft withinthe .bearing balls to permit of'a partial rotary and a limitedlongitudinal movement of the said shaft, and a trolley Wheel upon theshaft.

la. A trolley harp having its arms provided with diametrically oppositecircular v openings, flanged circular bearngboxes ar-l ranged forrotation within the openings, bearing balls eccentrlcally arrangedwithin thefbearing balls, means for sustaining the shaft within thebearing kballs to ypermit a limited rotary and a limited longitudinalmovement ofthe shaft, a trolley Wheel upon the shaft, and springsmeansfor sustaining 'the said wheel centrally of theshaft and out of contactwith the arms of the harp.

l5. 'In a trolley harp, a trolley wheel for the harp, a shaft mounted inbearings upon the harp and upon which the wheel is journaled, andresilient means for sustaining the shaft in its bearings and tov permitof a limited longitudinal movement of the shaft without allowing thesame to leave its bearings when a side pressure is exerted upon thewheel vand delivered therefrom'to the shaft. n f

ln testimony whereof I affix my signatur ALFRED .roi-uvson.`

W'itnesses:

WVM. F. Giens, J. L. HoWE.

Copies of this patent mayi'be obtained for v:five cents each, byaddressingthe Commissioner of Tt'atencs;y

- Washington, D. C. y.

